A former livestock carrier says all live exports of stock should be banned to end the misery for animals.

Wagga Wagga City councillor Paul Funnell says politicians need to stand up against the trade and “bite the bullet” on live exports and ban it for good.

“To actually see footage of five loads – not just one – of sheep treated like this is beyond comprehension – to say sickened is an understatement,” Mr Funnell said.

“I had eight phone calls before 9am today from concerned growers saying to shut it down – every single one of them said ‘who cares, I’ll get over it, we'll adjust’ – they don’t want this happening to their animals,” he said.

Mr Funnell said the industry would quickly adjust to a live export ban, adding that real farmers were not the ones truly benefiting from the practice.

Mr Funnell advocates the construction of abattoirs in northern NSW so that animals are processed in Australia and do not meet cruel ends in the Middle East. He said it was time that the live export trade was brought to a halt, and the sheep and cattle industries would have to adjust, just as the car industry did after closures.

Thanks Mr Funnell. We think a lot of Aussie farmers would agree with you too so it is great that this has been stated in public.